Travels on the Amazon

Travels on the Amazon presents adventurous chronicles of Alfred Russel Wallace's travels to the Amazon rainforests of Brazil in South America. Inspired by the travelogues of earlier and contemporary traveling naturalists, including Charles Darwin and specifically William Henry Edwards, Wallace was determined to go on an expedition abroad as a naturalist. In 1848, he and Henry Bates left for Brazil. They intended to gather insects and other animal specimens in the Amazon Rainforest for their private collections. They wanted to sell the duplicates to museums and collectors in Britain to fund the trip. Wallace also hoped to gather evidence of the changes in the species. Wallace and Bates spent most of their first year collecting near Belém, then examined inland separately. They sometimes met to discuss their findings. Wallace spent four years analyzing the inhabitants and the languages he encountered, along with the geography, flora, and fauna. After returning to the U.K., he wrote several papers and books about his ventures and findings. This wonderful book is one of his impressive travel books.